The Listening Grove · The Burgess Bird Book for Children
Chapter 5: Peter Learns Something He Hadn't Guessed
A Charlotte Mason nature-study lesson. Press play, with the lesson.
What is The Burgess Bird Book for Children Chapter 5, Peter Learns Something He Hadn't Guessed, about?Parent review
Chapter 5, Peter Learns Something He Hadn't Guessed, brings a surprise. Peter cannot believe that Winsome Bluebird, Welcome Robin, and Melody the Wood Thrush all belong to the same family, the thrushes, yet cousins they are. The Robin, the bird everyone knows, is really a large thrush; the gentle Bluebird, with his sky-blue coat and russet breast, is his cousin; and Melody the Wood Thrush, brown above with a boldly spotted breast, is the sweetest singer of the three. Peter learns that the speckled breast of the young robin gives the family secret away.
Say what you remember!
Tell what you remember from the last chapter.
What happened in the previous chapter of The Burgess Bird Book for Children, Chippy, Sweetvoice, and Dotty?Have a look
In Chapter 4, Chippy, Sweetvoice, and Dotty, Peter met three more sparrows: Chippy the Chipping Sparrow with his reddish cap and horsehair nest, Sweetvoice the Vesper Sparrow who sings in the evening and flashes white outer tail feathers, and Dotty the Tree Sparrow, a winter visitor with a single dark spot on his breast.
Back to the previous lesson: Chippy, Sweetvoice, and Dotty →Show what you know!
Use your printable Lesson Guide. Fill in the vocabulary you know, then click to check your work and learn some new words today.
What are the difficult or advanced vocabulary words in The Burgess Bird Book for Children Chapter 5, Peter Learns Something He Hadn't Guessed?herald, indignant, lingered, mimicked, russet, angleworm, wry, foundation, stout, contentHave a look
- herald: A person or thing that announces the coming of something else; a forerunner arriving just ahead.
- indignant: Feeling angry and offended because something seems unfair, insulting, or undeserved.
- lingered: Stayed on longer than expected; remained after most others had gone or faded away.
- mimicked: Copied someone's voice, words, or actions, usually to tease or mock.
- russet: A warm, earthy reddish-brown color, like the skin of some apples or autumn leaves.
- angleworm: An earthworm; the kind of worm dug from soil and used as bait on a hook.
- wry: Showing dry humor or mild displeasure, usually through a twisted expression.
- foundation: The base layer everything else is built upon; the bottom support of a structure.
- stout: Strong, solid, and sturdy; built to hold up well and not easily broken.
- content: Satisfied with what you have; not needing anything more to feel at ease.
The Books come Alive!
Read or listen to Chapter 5 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children, the Kindred Thicket Revised Edition.
Read by Kindred Thicket, from the Kindred Thicket Revised Edition. The plain accuracy notes that explain each correction come with the Complete Companion Guide.
Memory becomes Action!
Use the Response Resource* to remember and spell tricky names. Choose one way to narrate.
*Materials in the Lesson Guide.
What is the list of names, people, characters, birds, and places that are important in Chapter 5 of The Burgess Bird Book for Children?Welcome Robin, Winsome Bluebird, Melody, Jenny Wren, Peter RabbitHave a look
- Welcome Robin: The American Robin (Turdus migratorius), the familiar red-breasted bird of lawns, which is really a large thrush.
- Winsome Bluebird: The Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis), a gentle thrush with a sky-blue back and a warm russet breast, and a soft, sweet call.
- Melody: The Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina), brown above with a boldly spotted breast, whose flute-like song is the loveliest of the family.
- Jenny Wren: The House Wren, who helps Peter untangle the surprise.
- Peter Rabbit: The observer, amazed to learn the robin's family secret.
Chapter 5 Q & A
A few questions families ask about this chapter and its birds.
Is a robin really a thrush?
Yes. The American Robin is a true thrush, one of the largest in North America. Its rusty-red breast makes it look unlike its cousins, but its shape, habits, and the spotted breast of its young all mark it as a thrush.
How are the bluebird and robin related?
They are cousins in the same thrush family. The bluebird is smaller and gentler, with a blue back and russet breast, but shares the family's upright stance, insect-and-berry diet, and the spotted breast worn by the young.
What bird is Melody?
Melody is the Wood Thrush, brown above and cream below with round dark spots, famous for a clear, flute-like, echoing song that many people consider the most beautiful of any American bird.
How can you tell young thrushes?
By their spotted breasts. Young robins, bluebirds, and thrushes all have heavily speckled breasts, the shared family mark, even when the grown birds look very different. That is the clue that gives the family away.